I got blood draw this morning to make sure I don’t have a bunch of painful diseases. 5 tubes! I’m not sure if I have any blood left. I got lucky with a skilled phlebotomist that didn’t have to go poking around. I can tell if they are good by their stick and aftercare. You do not bend your arm up after a blood draw! I don’t know how many years I was told to do that and would end up with massive bruising. Keep your arm straight and apply pressure. So I thought I would get lucky when I peeked under my bandaid and didn’t see a bruise. I pulled the bandaid off and it really pulled the inner elbow skin up when coming off. So now I have a tiny mark near the needle hole and a big bruise where the bandaid was. I can’t win.

I felt very knowledgeable at work today. I emailed the NIH contacts on the research program announcement my agency might submit an application for. The CEO wants to use this as a chance to revive an old HIV prevention program. I’m not so sure HIV prevention is what NIH is looking for with this program. Being sponsored by two different centers having to do with alcohol abuse kind of leads me to believe they want it to be a “Drinking is bad, kids!” program. Rather than be snotty about it, I took the learnin I gained at the research conference I attended and emailed the contacts listed to ask them. I hope I am right so I can go all RTFM on the CEO.

And now it is time for baking!

We gave my roommate’s cat to a friend tonight so we are on our way to become fur free! I am cruising Craigslist for a new desk chair and maybe a new couch. Not that she messed up the couch but it is horribly ugly.

My mom gave me some vegtables from her garden and I made some awesome pico de gallo. I should make it more often, it’s really simple. The onions actually made me cry while cutting them! That’s never happened to me before so it must be because my mom has an awesome garden.

I love hearing the CEO of my agency talk to outsiders about the agency. It’s like listening to a preacher tell you the glories of the social work. Just like some preachers in current news, sometimes he slips up and says something truly WTF. He was telling a group of European counselors about the agency and he said “West Siiiide!” You know what I mean. Like he suddenly slipped from preacher mode to gangsta mode. Actually, he said it more than once. On purpose. I’m sure these counselors had no idea why he was talking like that, why the West Side is the best side or why these silly Americans are ethnocentric to think that a group of professional older Europeans would have any knowledge of West Siiide life.

Other fun things: we have a transgender client and I have been called upon to educate the management team. I volunteered myself for this task because I couldn’t handle the pronoun switching and the upset over which bathroom she would use. I guess it is pretty naive just to think that since we are an urban, non-faith based social service agency, that we would be able to handle a trans client. I have a lot of work to do. Every time someone uses the wrong pronoun or switches pronouns, I cringe and I am on the verge of developing a facial tic.

And it sucks to be you!
Yes, I saw Avenue Q last night. It was pretty damn funny and there was puppet sex. I’m happy my brother went, he got to see what he has to look forward to when he finishes college (not the having sex with puppets part).
My boss asked how I like the show when I got in today. Good thing she didn’t ask what it was about. ‘Oh just being a recent college grad, hating your job, feeling like you have no purpose, being poor…oh you want me to file something for you? And we are not getting paid on time again? I love my job!’

Later my boss asked, possibly begged, me to stay at the agency. I never gave any indication that I was thinking about leaving but people around me have been dropping like flies due to the payroll mess. I think this is the 3rd major delay in payroll since I started and there have been at least a few more minor (under 2 days) delays.
I have the feeling I should get off the sinking ship but I’m always the type to fight/wait things out until the bloody end. My boss talked with me and she really wants me to get back to writing proposals soon. I would hate to leave the job without getting any real research experience. I need something to take away from this job! My clinical skills have gone unused and my research skills haven’t been developed..it’s like I never went to grad school, except for the debt.

Unrelated, I have four wedding coming up in the next few months! I know, it’s wedding season so I shouldn’t be surprised. I am going to be a jealous bitch, watching all my friends getting Cuisinart mixers. Also, bad time to be newly single.

I got off work early today, it was my boss’ way of thanking me for being assistant bitch all day. he group I was helping today was impressed with my hella mad organizational skills. One lady commented ‘You just do everything!’ and without thinking I responded ‘Everything and everyone!’ Ya, that’s why they only let me talk to crackheads.

She says that I will get a day or two off soon for all the extra work I have been doing. It would be nice if those days off coincided with my next trip so I don’t have to take a ‘sick day’ but I don’t think things will be back to normal by then.

We still have not got paid. The CEO is going to Springfield tomorrow to get us some moneys. I hope. He’s had meetings with just about every department that pays us and so far I have not seen nearly enough checks come in to cover payroll.

I will be happy when my stimulus check comes. I know I’m supposed to damn the man and save it instead of spend it but I’m spending it on a tattoo. Doesn’t that count as damning the man a little bit?

This keyboard sucks and the shift keys don’t work sometimes so I have to go back and make sure all my capital letters are there. What happened to being able to buy a functional keyboard for $3 at a thrift store? I went looking this weekend and all of the keyboards looked like a child or dog chewed on them. This is what sucks about not hanging out with geeks anymore. I have to go all of the way to the suburbs to steal keyboards from my little brother. I will be in the burbs soon for my neice’s Hanna Montana themed birthday party. Who is wrapping her gift in Miley’s topless picture? The best aunt ever!

Some advice for whoever designed Chicago’s parking meter pay boxes:

I’m already annoyed that I have to park my car, go to the pay box, give it money, print out my ticket and then go back to my car to put it on the windshield. Get something like an I-Pass for parking already.
It’s also nice that you can use a credit/debit card to pay for parking if you don’t have any change. But how about some directions for the card reader? I don’t like shoving my card in the slot beyond my reach and not knowing if it will come back out. I especially don’t like this when I’m running late for a hair appointment (btw, hair is highlighted red and looks awesome). Directions come on screen when your card is all of the way in but by that time it’s too late! The evil parking meter may have swallowed your card.

Things that I kind of like about Chicago transportation:
I went to my alderman/ward’s site and I’m signed up for email reminders when there will be street cleaning. Signs are posted but I always forget if it’s the 3rd or 4th week of the month. No more tickets this summer!

And the bus route by my house just got GPS bus tracking. I can tell that 5 busses are bunched up 20 minutes away! Now they just need to make a text number for the bus tracker for those of us without web enabled phones.

Unrelated, I made an entry filled with old pics I found at my parents’ house on my MySpace page. I figured it’s best to keep personal posts like that off this blog.

More unrelated, a coworker is out injured, not sure when she will return, and I have been stuck doing her job and mine. My boss talked about getting a temp but we are having all sorts of financial problems so that won’t happen. Today my boss sent me an email saying that if she needs to change my duties while the coworker is out, let her know. Nice of her but I don’t want my primary assignments changed, I want someone else to do these secondary, not my job, assignments. I wish I could combine the finances of a for-profit with the awesome of a non-profit.

When someone says “sunny day” does it make you think of the Sesame Street song?

Fine, it’s just me. You have no soul.

I spent a lot of time at work fixing someone else’s mistakes. A coworker gave me a bunch of addresses and they were all so close but not right. Like 312 Main St instead of 314 Main St. I told on him and it made me feel better.

Boy and I went to a Buddhism study group at a different temple. This one looks like a real temple and it even has real Japanese people! The temple where we have been attending meditation courses is also a dojo and so it looks like a dojo and it’s attended by mostly whiteys. The study group at new temple was more diverse in race and age. And they don’t even do sitting meditation. Lazy Buddhists!

For clarification, the meditation I am referring to at temple/dojo is Zazen. The teacher at the 2nd temple practices Pure Land Buddhism which isn’t so big on the sit down and shut up.

Updated! A commenter said I used to much lingo so I (filled in the blanks).

I talked to my boss about clinical supervision again. I’m getting nowhere with outside agencies taking me on as a volunteer that would also get clinical supervision. (hoops I have to jump through to get a C in my LSW)) Individual LCSW’s will supervise me but I would have to pay them weekly. The person my boss referred me to that said she would supervise me wants me to get a client for us to talk about.

It just happens our substance abuse program had a couple people leave recently (every counselor) so they are short staffed(the CEO is going to be running group soon). I offered to do my clinical hours with them and go to their weekly meetings for my supervision hours. I’ve already done intakes (trying to piece together a substance abuse history with a person that claims they don’t have a drug problem) during my internship so I would be able to jump in and help. My boss wants me to have a new experience (thinks I care about learning) and doesn’t like my idea. So much for trying to appear(key word) helpful.

My boss wants me to wait until another employee takes her LCSW exam in May and have her be my supervisor. This person is awesome (young and cute) but not a manager, no supervision experience and what she does isn’t that different! She works with dual diagnosis clients(crazy and like the drugs!) instead of just substance abusers. Anyone thats worked in substance abuse knows that most of your clients are actually dual diagnosis but haven’t been diagnosed yet or refuse MI(crazy) treatment(lots of pills).

So this chick better pass her damn test so she can supervise(gossip with me in her office) me. I want to get on this licensing thing. I kind of want a CADC (Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor) just because I will be doing my hours in substance abuse but I’m pretty sure I won’t be taking a direct service (actually working with clients and not hiding in admin land) substance abuse job anytime soon so I won’t be able to complete the work requirements to get certified( 2000 hours of paid direct service).

In other fun work news-lots of horny clients! Nothing like starting your day with a developmentally disabled woman telling you she likes sex! (Didn’t happen to me, happened to a male coworker.) Woo!

Yoga kicked my ass tonight! It wasn’t regular, lame Bally’s yoga. An instructor came to the acupuncture studio to teach a class. There were blocks and hip pulling involved and my knees are screaming.

There was more awesome at my workplace last week. We had a community meeting, meaning outsiders came in and we discussed an issue that impacts the community. We had one too many outsiders in the form of a crackhead that wandered in. My guess is he saw food and a bunch of people sitting in chairs and occasionally standing so he figured it was some sort of church. He came in and made himself at home. One of the speakers even let him get up and talk. He tried to read a Bible verse and then told us about war and Jews and Germans. We had security sit next to him so he stayed quiet but security wandered off and he got out his harmonica to accent what people were saying with his lovely out of tune music.

We had some scheduled entertainment, too. There was a guy that did some kind of inspirational dancing that involved a mask. I think it was supposed to be a mime mask but looked a little Friday the 13th to me. We had a rapper do a few songs and everyone really liked him. My boss tried rapping with him at the end and uh..not so good. Stick to church singing, boss.

I’ve been trying really hard to be involved at work which is why I am attending crackhead mime meetings. I feel like I am doing a lot but I’m not doing anything research related. You know…what I was hired to do. The next grant is due end of May and we have not even started on it. I have done all the prep work I can and my boss needs to take the next step so I have something to work on. Not that I don’t like reading my Zen books at work but I should be doing something useful occasionally.

I have been Lil Miss Involved at work lately. And the more involved I get, the less I want to know.

I visited some of our residential sites this week. At one of the sites, I am greeted at the door by a very flat sounding client. I had to ask twice if there was a staff person there. I try to talk to the client once inside, just a general “Hi, this is who I am and why I am here. How is it going?” She tells me, in a flat mumble, that she left the hospital today before she could see her doctor because people were staring at her and that she is off meds. Well, could have guessed that 2nd one. She said she was off meds because she is pregnant but it sounded like a doctor previously told her she was not pregnant. Her shirt didn’t fit very well and she is overweight so it was hard to tell if there was a baby bump. After I get this story I ask the staff person if she called the agency’s psychiatrist. She can always see clients right away if they miss appointments.

“Oh, no. Should I have done that?”

Yes, doing your job would be supercool. The client hugged me goodbye (woo mismatched behaviors!) and I declared myself done for the day.

Then today, I was in a meeting and the HR director announced a new policy about rehiring former employees. It’s pretty basic, we won’t hire them until we have reviewed their file and only if they got above average reviews while they worked here. It’s not a revised policy, we just never had a policy on this issue before.

Later that day, I’m talking to a coworker and she shows me an email conversation where a pain in the ass coworker resigns, rescinds his resignation and then is told he has to re-apply for his job. Oh, maybe they’re trying to get rid of someone with that new, well timed policy? He has resigned and rescinded resignation one before.

And I actually learned something in another meeting. Non-profits always have to stay in the red a little bit because if they have any money left over or break even, they risk having their funding cut for the next year. So I thought my agency sucked because they’re constantly playing catch up, it’s actually more about receiving payments on time to pay the bills but staying in debt just enough that we can keep asking for more.